Search form

For Immediate Release

ACLU Calls On Administration And Congress To Follow The Rule Of Law In Terrorism Cases

WASHINGTON -

In
the wake of the recent attempted Times Square bombing, there have been
misguided calls from within and outside of Congress to circumvent our
criminal justice system, including proposals that would deny due
process, abandon our federal court system and even strip citizenship
from suspects who have not been convicted of any crime.

The
following can be attributed to Laura W. Murphy, Director of the
American Civil Liberties Union Washington Legislative Office:

"The
Obama administration should reject all calls to circumvent the criminal
justice system when handling terrorism suspects. Obeying the
Constitution is not optional, and we don’t decide whether to apply it
on a case by case basis.

“The
Obama administration made the correct and obvious decision to place
Faisal Shahzad in our criminal justice system. U.S. citizens accused of
terrorism, like all criminal suspects, should be handled by our
criminal justice system and tried in our federal criminal courts. The
whole idea of having constitutional protections is that they be applied
across the board equally when people stand accused by our government.
That is the only way for us to rely on our justice system and its
results.

“Our
criminal justice system is fully capable of protecting security
interests while also upholding our values. If we have learned nothing
else over the last decade, it’s that circumventing the rule of law
leads to tragic consequences. To abandon due process in terrorism cases
turns the rule of law on its head and flies in the face of the values
that we are fighting to protect.”

###

This is the world we live in. This is the world we cover.

Because of people like you, another world is possible. There are many battles to be won, but we will battle them together—all of us. Common Dreams is not your normal news site. We don't survive on clicks. We don't want advertising dollars. We want the world to be a better place. But we can't do it alone. It doesn't work that way. We need you. If you can help today—because every gift of every size matters—please do. Without Your Support We Simply Don't Exist.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) conserves America's original civic values working in courts, legislatures and communities to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in the United States by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Further

Last week, the "world's most moral army" bombed and leveled Gaza's much-loved al-Meshal Theater and Cultural Center, rare home to hundreds of artists, dancers and writers and vital symbol of Palestinian identity, to "make residents feel the price of escalation." The next day, the Palestinian band al-Anqaa (or Phoenix) returned in defiance to play for their beleaguered neighbors, because "art is, too, a form of resistance."

Common Dreams brings you the news that matters.

Sign up for Newsletter

Connect With Us

Support Our Spring Fundraising Drive

Can We Count on Your Help Today?

Common Dreams is a small nonprofit with a big mission. Every day of the week, we publish the most important breaking news & views for the progressive community. To remain an independent news source, we do not advertise, sell subscriptions or accept corporate contributions. Instead, we rely on readers like you, to provide the "people power" that fuels our work. Please help keep Common Dreams alive by making a contribution to our fundraising drive. Thank you. - Craig Brown, Co-founder